In the past, fence posts were typically formed from wood, spaced at periodic intervals. These posts were installed by digging holes for each post and then inserting the post in the hole. This is time consuming and labor intensive. The rails used with the traditional wood fence posts include wood beams, boards, or wire. As an alternative to wood posts, metal fence posts are sometimes used, particularly for use with wire rails. Such metal fence posts are commonly formed with a T-shaped cross section (known as a “T-post”). These are typically available in standard and heavy duty configurations. Variations of the metal fence post include a Y-shaped cross section.
One disadvantage with metal fence posts is that they are unattractive. Another disadvantage is that insulators are required when electric fencing is desired. Finally, the posts are only useful for metal fencing, and there is no readily available method for attaching plank rails to metal fence posts without substantial modification or alteration.